Pry chain hoist



June 26, 1962 w. M. WELDON 3,041,041

PRY CHAIN HOIST Filed Oct. 26. 1960 M/l/am M Weldon 1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent 7 3,041,041 PRY CHAIN HOIST William M. Weldon, 316 8th St, Corbin, Ky. Filed Oct. 26, 1960, Ser. No. 65,222 7 Claims. (Cl. 254-105) This invention relates to a new and useful readily attachable and detachable means for separably connecting cooperating end portions of two associated chains, and a complemental pry bar or lever which is hooked to and fulcrumed on adjacent links of one chain and has quickseparable operating connection with the means which links the chains to each other.

More specifically, this invention comprises a manually actuatahle single-throw lever or pry bar having a fork at its outer end detachably connected to and fulcrumed on interconnected links of a depending stationarily supported suspension chain and cooperable with a vertically tensioned load lifting or hoisting chain through the medium of a connector which links the ends of the two chains together, and an operating connection between the lever and said chain linking or connecting means.

The invention features a novel chain-end connector having laterally offset hook-like chain link engaging claws at its opposite ends and provided intermediate its ends with a slot or equivalent means to detachably and adjustably accommodate the above-named operating connection, namely, a simple hook which is flexibly or otherwise pivotally linked to an end of the lever adjacent to the levers hinging or fulcruming fork.

Experience has shown that by using a one-piece rigid chain linking connector which is substantially S-shaped the claws thereon may be quickly hooked to the links of the respective chains and the upper clam unhooked and again re-hooked to thus adjustably couple or join the two chain-ends together and to reliably achieve the desired result of lifting the load chain in a desirable stepby-step manner.

Another aspect of this invention pertains to a suspended hoisting chain the upper end of which is adapted to be fixed to and suspended from a stationary support, an adapter having an upper end detachably and adjustably attached to and hung from the free lower portion of the suspended hoisting chain and having a bifurcated hook defining a claw and adapted to hold and elevate said load supportingchain relative to the hoisting chain, a single-throw lever having an end provided with a fork the prongs of which straddle a selected link and are fulcrumed on an adjacent link on the hoisting chain, a lifting hook connected by flexible means to the underside of the lever adjacent said fork, said hook being detachably connected to said adapter.

Further, the adapter is provided intermediate its ends With a slot constituting a keeper for the lifting hook. Preferably the slot is restricted in length and width and located between the transverse center and one end of the adapter and is accordingly closer to said one end than it is to the other end, whereby to permit adjustments to be accomplished by reversing or turning the adapter upside down whenever necessary or desired.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective showing the lever or pry bar hooked and fulcrumed on a selected link embodied in an upper stationarily supported hanger or suspension chain, said lever having a hook connected with the adapter, said adapter constituting a connection be- 3,041,041 Patented; June 26, 1962' tween the lower end of said suspension chain and an upper end of the cooperating load lifting chain; and

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of the chain connector or adapter.

With reference to FIG. 2 the numeral 4 designates an improved chain-end linking, connector or adapter. More particularly this adapter or connector is formed from rigid bar metal stock for load hoisting heavy duty needs. The adapter comprises a median or body portion 6 and terminal ends separably connectible with chain links in the manner shown in FIG. 1. Preferably this adapter is. approximately S-shaped in edge elevation. The upper end portion directed to the left constitutes a chain engaging claw or claw-type hook 8. The spaced apart fingers and intervening slot make up a hook-shaped claw and the fingers 10 constitute individual hooks. The olfset claw directed to the right and constituting the lower claw is denoted at 12 and is of the same construction as the upper claw in that it embodies spaced parallel hookshaped claw fingers 14. The median transverse portion of the body is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 16 or equivalent means constituting a keeper. It is. to be noted that the slot is closer to the claw 8 than to the. claw 12 said slot constituting a keeper seat.

This readily attachable and detachable adapter or connector 4 is cooperable with the two chains denoted in FIG. 1. The upper chain 18 is a hanger or suspension chain whose upper end is fixedly supported (not shown) The lower chain which may be a component of a load binding chain is designated as a load lifting or supporting chain 20. In practice the fingers of the fork 12 may be caused to straddle the upper ovate link 22 and engage the shoulder portion 24 of the uppermost companion link 26. Thus the load supporting and lifting chain 20 is hung and clutched in the claw 12. The lower free end portion of the suspension chain 18 includes interconnected links 28, 29, 30 and 31. With this arrangement the claw fingers 10 straddle the link 29 and are supported on the shoulder provided by the upper end of the link 28 as at 32. Thus with the adapter or connector applied free end portions of cooperating chains 18 and 20 are adjustably linked together. By disconnecting the claw 8 and moving it up to straddle the link 31 and to come to rest on the shoulder of the below link 30 (not shown), the chain 20 with its load (not shown) can be elevated. However in order to accomplish this lifting or hoisting result the simple single-throw lifting lever or pry bar (FIG. 1) is em ployed. This pry bar is rigid and preferably of rectangular cross-section and is denoted generally by the numeral 34 the right hand end portion being fashioned into a suitable handle 36 (not detailed). The left hand end portion is fashioned into a hook-shaped fork 38 the arms of which are denoted at 40. In the illustrations seen the fork arms straddle the link 42 and are fulcrumed atop the shoulder provided by the underlying link 44. It follows that this lever is adjustably and detachably fulcrumed on the chain and it can be lifted in order to take a new position as the adapter climbs up the chain s'tep-by-step in a manner to draw or pull the load chain 20 upwardly. To achieve the desired cooperation of parts the lever is provided with a sturdy hook 46 whose bill portion 47 is detachably mounted in the keeper slot 16. The shank of the hook is flexibly linked to a portion of the lever adjacent the fork 38. This may be accomplished by a simple link (not shown) or by a plurality of links 48 the uppermost link being connected to a clevis 50 provided therefor on the underneath side 52 of the lever.

It will be understood that in using the device the forked end of the lever 34 is moved up step-by-step and engaged with and caused to straddle every other link. This is also true of the upward movement of the adapter 4. When the handle 36 of the pry bar 34 is lifted the hook 47 engaged with the slot 16 lifts the adapter and consequently hoists or lifts the load chain 20. It is necessary to disengage and re-hook the links which dangle beneath the lever, that is the fork end thereof to support the load and to reset the lever or pry bar. By following the necessary sequential steps in proper order the component parts may be used to elevate the load chain 20 progressively. 1

Minor changes in shape, size, materials, and rearrangement of component parts may be resorted to in actual practice without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use in cooperative association with linkequipped adjacent ends of a stationarily hung suspension chain and a load-supporting and lifting chain; an adapter comprising a rigid heavy-duty connector having a body portion and upper and lower end portions, the upper end portion being provided with a bifurcated hook defining an upper claw adapted to be detachably connected with intended links at the lower end portion of the aforementioned suspension chain, the lower end of said adapter likewise being bifurcated and providing a lower claw releasably connectible with links at the upper end of the load-supporting and lifting chain, a manually actuatable lever having a fork at one end for engaging selected links of said suspension chain and a handle at the other end, a lifting hook, interconnected chain links connected with the hook and lever, respectively, and providing a flexible operating connection between the lever and hook, and the body portion of said connector having means with which the bill portion of said hook is separably connectible.

2. In combination, a first chain having a free end portion, a second chain also having a free end portion connectible with the first-named free end portion, a connector located between and separably connecting the respective free end portions of the first and second chains together, and manually actuatable tool means having one end adjustably and detachably connected with the free end portion of said first chain and equipped with hook means, said connector having rigid claws at its respective ends separably connectible with links embodied in the free end portions of the aforementioned first and second chains, said connector having means intermediate the ends thereof to which said hook means is separably connected.

' 3. The structure defined in claim 2, and wherein said claws are positioned with one claw directed to the left and the other claw directed to the right of the body portion of said connector,

4. For use in hoisting a load supporting chain; hoisting means comprising, in combination, a suspended hanger chain having an upper end which is adapted to be fixed to and suspended from a stationary support and also having a lower end which is free, an adapter independent of said chain and having means at an upper end detachably and adjustably attached to and hung from the free lower end of said hanger chain and having bifurcated hook at its lower end defining a claw adapted to grippingly hold and elevate said load-supporting chain relative to said hanger chain, a single-throw lever having an end provided with a fork, said fork having prongs adapted to straddle one chain link of said hanger chain and to fulcrum on a selected link adjacent the first-named link, a lifting hook connected by flexible means to the underside of the lever adjacent said fork, said hook being detachably connected to said adapter.

5. The structure defined in claim 4, and wherein said adapter has a slot providing a keeper for said lifting hook.

6. The structure defined in claim 4, and wherein said adapter has a slot providing a keeper for said lifting hook, said slot being located between the transverse center and one end of the adapter whereby it is closer to said one end than it is to the other end.

7. In combination, a suspended hanger chain the upper portion of which is connectible to and adapted to be hung from an elevated stationary support with its lower portion free to dangle, a load supporting and hoisting chain connectible separably to said lower portion, a rigid connector for adjacent ends of said chains, said connector being substantially S-shaped and having a body portion and oppositely directed curvate end portions which are bifurcated to define hook-shaped chain engaging claws, one claw being detachably and adjustably connected to the free lower portion of the hanger chain, the other claw being detachably connected with an end link of the load chain, whereby to separably link said chains with each other, a manually actuatable lever having a fork detachably and adjustably connected with a selected link of said hanger chain above the position of said connector, a lifting hook linked flexibly to said lever adjacent said fork, said connector having a keeper slot at a median portion of the connector, and the bill of said hook being separably connected to the connector through the medium of said keeper slot. 7

Sheeler Mar. 10, 1903 Itjen et al. Apr. 6, 1926 

